Paying for Extra & Specialty Dining

[PixieLegal]

Hey Gang!

I love all the amazing info on here. One trend I keep seeing is many cruisers pay the up charge to eat in the better restaurants. Is this necessary to have good meals on the cruise? Is it just a nice treat to yourself? Is the rest of the food awful where you have to pay to have nice food? Just wondering why so many do so after paying the cruise fare and meals are included? Oh sorry, I know this is getting long....but I had a friend say she did not like NCL because she felt nickle and dimed while sailing them. I personally would like to try NCL but am I a little apprehensive after her input and some of the reviews.

[mizLORInj]

I recommend trying NCL for yourself to form your own opinion. I'm glad I did.

We usually eat in the main dining rooms or buffet. Rarely do we eat at an upcharge restaurant, though we have and they've all been good.

The MDR food on our last NCL cruise was good so we didn't feel that eating at an upcharge restaurant was worthwhile for us. Not to mention we usually weren't all that hungry come dinnertime! LOL

And I don't feel nickel and dimed any more on NCL than any other cruiseline. You want photos and drinks, casino, etc. all cruiselines charge extra for them.

[DDD06]

In my experience, no, you do not need to dine in a specialty restaurant to get a decent meal. The times that we have dined in the specialty restaurant it was just as an added treat.

 

I would agree with mizlori, try it for yourself.

[weltek]

It's definitely a personal thing. I only had one cruise on NCL where at least one element of my meal was disappointing each night (Sky in 2010ish).

 

We eat at 1-3 specialties each cruise just for a "special treat" of more intimate dining and slightly higher quality fare. The servers tend to also be better.

 

I have cruised with no specialties though and enjoyed my cruise and ate more than I should!

[BurtonRiderT6]

I agree with the above posters. I've never felt obligated to eat at an upcharge restaurant. I personally think the food in the MDR has always been very good, be sure to check the MDRs daily menu. They have one fixed menu and one that has a different selection at each MDR everyday.

 

The only complaint I had about the upcharge restaurants was that NCL got rid of the Tex Mex one's and replaced them with Moderno (Brazilian steakhouse). I really like Moderno and wish NCL was able to keep the Tex Mex place too because it was very good as well.

 

The buffet is well..........a buffet, there's some things I like and some I don't. That's the beauty of having so many choices in one location. It does get crowded at times though.

[perkydebrajean]

We chose to eat in a pay restaurant as a treat to ourselves. Did Teppanyaki because neither my daughter or I had ever been to one like that. We also had some OBC and used it to pay for it. We found the free food to be just fine. We ate the poolside buffet several times, the buffet once, the MDR, and several times at Blue Lagoon. We were very happy with all of our meals we had.

 

Also never felt "nickel and dimed". I went into the cruise knowing that pictures, casino, bingo (didn't play it),and drinks were not going to be free.

[deladypilot]

I have never felt nickle and dimed on NCL. All the mainstream cruise lines have specialty restaurants that you pay extra for. All have photographers, spas etc that cost extra. So I see no difference there.

 

As for the food. I have never felt like I needed to pay for a specialty restaurant. Of course we are not foodies and we do not cruise to eat. We are actually the opposite. I do not like wasting time eating. I want to eat and be done with it, so often we just eat at the buffet and go on about having fun.

[Demonyte]

We usually eat at MDRs so speciality dinners are just a nice treat, never felt that we needed to pay for edible food - our "regular" places are Italian and Moderno. But for each their own. :)

[johnsak123]

Food is a matter of taste

Some like things other wont

I enjoy the food in the MDR and the specialty restaurants Except for Teppanyaki.

OOPS I forgot the buffet. I think for the most part the food on the cruise is really good. Of course there are things I didn't like but that's my personal taste

BTW I have never felt nickel and dimed by NCL

Edited December 3, 2013 by johnsak123

[mpk218]

If only I could find these items when I cruise .:mad:

It seems everywhere I look all the little extras are way more than a dime let alone a nickle.. Help me !!

Now , when my Grandma owned a Five and Dime on Foster. Boy that was somethin..

Oh well ... I digress ..

 

As far as the original question .. The food is so bad in the Main dining rooms (+buffet) that 97.3 % of cruise passangers eat there... And most "Pay" venues are half empty .

 

draw you own conclusions ;)

[PixieLegal]

"Reseach your travels or have zero expectations. Those are your choices."

I love this! :D We may sail the Sky for a quick getaway soon and I see mixed reviews too. I love the insight. I just saw it was popular to dine elsewhere so I was curious why. I wonder if NCL's buffet, MDR food is better than the CCL Imagination we just came from. I ate a lot of bread on that ship. And I am not really a picky eater! So we are looking at trying NCL next.

[SteveH2508]

<snip>

 

As far as the original question .. The food is so bad in the Main dining rooms (+buffet) that 97.3 % of cruise passangers eat there... And most "Pay" venues are half empty .

 

draw you own conclusions ;)

 

^^^ +1 award for most sensible, balanced post of the day.

[kcwingwalker]

 

As far as the original question .. The food is so bad in the Main dining rooms (+buffet) that 97.3 % of cruise passangers eat there... And most "Pay" venues are half empty .

 

draw you own conclusions ;)

 

Agree!

 

As for the "nickel and diming" it just isn't that way at all. You have options to dine at other venues, go to the spa, etc. no one is forcing you.

 

There are many who will proudly tell you that they never spend an extra penny on NCL and no extra charges on their final bill. They choose not to drink alcohol or soda and don't buy lousy artwork, jewelry, etc.

 

NCL calls it Freestyle and you decide what you want and when you want it.

[Love my butler]

If you want traditional 'cruise' food and atmosphere then yes you need to pay to eat in the specialty restaurants. With the included venues now serving chicken pot pie and meat loaf types of food, it is more like having dinner at your local Denny's. Sure it's edible, but it isn't anything special at all.

 

Now on to the atmosphere and service. NCL has cut the waitstaff to the bone in the MDR's and the service is usually painfully slow and often with mistakes. The specialty restaurants are a notch up in service and speed. Most are smaller and intimate.

 

If you cruised 20 years ago you will understand the difference, if not, then the two-hour meatloaf dinner in the MDR will probably seem special to you.

[martinchem]

Hey Gang!

I love all the amazing info on here. One trend I keep seeing is many cruisers pay the up charge to eat in the better restaurants. Is this necessary to have good meals on the cruise? Is it just a nice treat to yourself? Is the rest of the food awful where you have to pay to have nice food? Just wondering why so many do so after paying the cruise fare and meals are included? Oh sorry, I know this is getting long....but I had a friend say she did not like NCL because she felt nickle and dimed while sailing them. I personally would like to try NCL but am I a little apprehensive after her input and some of the reviews.

 

Nothing like experiencing for yourself. We love Norwegian. We enjoy the perks of the platinum guests and so will you if you give them a chance.

[SteveH2508]

If you want traditional 'cruise' food and atmosphere then yes you need to pay to eat in the specialty restaurants. With the included venues now serving chicken pot pie and meat loaf types of food, it is more like having dinner at your local Denny's. Sure it's edible, but it isn't anything special at all.

 

Now on to the atmosphere and service. NCL has cut the waitstaff to the bone in the MDR's and the service is usually painfully slow and often with mistakes. The specialty restaurants are a notch up in service and speed. Most are smaller and intimate.

 

If you cruised 20 years ago you will understand the difference, if not, then the two-hour meatloaf dinner in the MDR will probably seem special to you.

 

For new readers to CC or the NCL board please note - I have NEVER seen meatloaf on an NCL menu - LMB trolls round the NCL board spreading doom and gloom - I wonder if LMB has ever sailed on NCL - take LMB's posts with a large pinch of salt (hopefully not in the food).

 

Now where is that ignore facility?

[SeaShark]

Just wondering why so many do so after paying the cruise fare and meals are included?

 

 

In a nutshell, the answer to your question is the same answer that you would give if I asked why (when you are at home) would you pay money to have dinner in a restaurant when you could simply eat at home for free?

[Va. Plumber]

I would like to put my two cents in regarding NCL dining.

 

I have never had to wait to be seated for dinner, but if I did it wouldn't bother me. One I am on vacation, and two I am not vain enough to think the world revolves around me. You usually have to wait to be seated at a land spot, so what is the big deal. Plus, I haven't been to many land restaurants that feed up to 3,000 people.

 

I have never had a bad meal on NCL. I've had some that I didn't care for. but I ordered it. The food was not bad, it was just me. There again stop to think about the choreography required to serve that many people at one time.

 

Finally, I have never had a meal take two hours, but if it did, so what.

You are on vacation. Think about your everyday lives. Dining is usually an afterthought. Get it down. Get it over. A leisurely dining experience is

a treat.

 

Some of the people on here probably shouldn't go to Italy. They might spend three or four hours

[kcwingwalker]

For new readers to CC or the NCL board please note - I have NEVER seen meatloaf on an NCL menu - LMB trolls round the NCL board spreading doom and gloom - I wonder if LMB has ever sailed on NCL - take LMB's posts with a large pinch of salt (hopefully not in the food).

 

Now where is that ignore facility?

 

Correct no meatloaf!

 

curmudgeon - a crusty irascible cantankerous old person full of stubborn ideas

[Demonyte]

I have NEVER seen meatloaf on an NCL menu - LMB trolls round the NCL board spreading doom and gloom

 

Pot pies and meatloaf are on at least O'Sheehan's menu (the 24/7 comfort/pub food place on newer ships) - not on any MDR menus.

[loopy]

We were just on the Jewel Thanksgiving cruise. This is my 4th cruise and 3rd with NCL.

 

We did several of the specialty restaurants for different reasons.

 

We did the sushi b/c we can never eat sushi that cheap at home and it was pretty good on the ship.

 

We looked forward to Moderno for the same reason. We love Brazilian steakhouses but restrain ourselves from going too often b/c of the cost. But it was only $20/pp on the ship. But I have to say it was horrible and we were served on platters instead of being carved from the sword. We did say something to Richard, the Hotel Director. We got the impression it is a known problem. He comped us a meal in Cagney and a bottle of wine. We weren't telling him to get a free meal..we have the theory that they don't know unless you tell them.

 

Cagney and the hibachi place were the best. The hibachi was my favorite even over Cagney's.

 

We tried to eat most options such as the buffet, mdr, Blue Lagoon and room service. They were all fine...some was even very good. I love the Cesar salads on NCL.

 

I gained 7 pounds so obviously I didn't have a problem with much of the food...haha!

[SeaShark]

I would like to put my two cents in regarding NCL dining.

 

I have never had to wait to be seated for dinner, but if I did it wouldn't bother me. One I am on vacation, and two I am not vain enough to think the world revolves around me. You usually have to wait to be seated at a land spot, so what is the big deal. Plus, I haven't been to many land restaurants that feed up to 3,000 people.

 

I have never had a bad meal on NCL. I've had some that I didn't care for. but I ordered it. The food was not bad, it was just me. There again stop to think about the choreography required to serve that many people at one time.

 

Finally, I have never had a meal take two hours, but if it did, so what.

You are on vacation. Think about your everyday lives. Dining is usually an afterthought. Get it down. Get it over. A leisurely dining experience is

a treat.

 

Some of the people on here probably shouldn't go to Italy. They might spend three or four hours

 

Couldn't agree more.

 

 

Our (American's) culture has become "high speed" when it comes to meals. Everywhere you go...Fast Food. And we don't even want to get out of our car for that! Hurry, Hurry, Hurry. Even Dominos is 30 minutes or less. We are all used to pay restaurants that depend on turn-around (get you in, get you fed, and get you out) to get to the next customer. Great Grandma cooked over a hot stove for hours....we get impatient waiting for the microwave! :eek:

 

We forget that cruise ships are more relaxed...they don't make money by speeding you thru the meal. If you want to eat quickly...say something, and plan accordingly. Sometimes I think that is the reason people love buffets...the food is ready and you can just grab and go....rush, rush, rush.

 

 

So I always wonder...Is the service REALLY that slow, or is the issue that the guest is impatient and in a hurry?

[NH Cruisers]

I perfer the buffet for lunch and breakfast. My wife perfers the MDR's for breakfast and lunch. We compromise. We both agree, we love the specialtys for supper. The specialties are just so good and we are on vacation. Yeah we know we paid for the MDR's already. We still pay less for a great cruise and eat nightly in the specialties and pay less for it than any land vacation we take.

 

The only way we can keep land vacations cheap is to eat at a lot of fast food resturants. Stay in Motel 6. Don't go to too many shows. And just not have as good a time and compare it too a cruise.

 

 

Jon

[SeaShark]

 

I gained 7 pounds so obviously I didn't have a problem with much of the food...haha!

 

[wvfrogg]

The only time I felt that someone was "pressuring" me to buy anything was at the spa -- they always have "product" that will make me oh so much more beautiful and younger looking. (If I want to drop an extra $100 for it -- and truth be told, I have gobs of "product" at home that hasn't helped much!). But it is easy to say no thanks.

 

Regarding the food, I usually use my OBC for a specialty restaurant once or twice. They are fun, and I enjoy them. On my last two cruises (Dawn and Epic) I had the salmon at LaCucina, the MDR and the buffet. The first two were terrific, the buffet was a little drier, but still pretty good. The buffet gives great choices for my breakfasts and lunches, and if I can keep my hands off the great chocolate croissants, sticky buns and pretzel rolls:o:o, I am able to have good, healthy meals!

 

Try NCL -- I think you will love it!